Jobless rates throughout Treasure Coast, state fall in March, compared to month ago

The Treasure Coast’s unemployment rate fell sharply in March to 8.2 percent, nearly two percentage points lower than a year ago.

Every county in Florida saw a lower jobless rate in March than the previous month, helping the seasonally adjusted statewide rate fall to 7.5 percent, the lowest since October 2008 and below the national rate of 7.6 percent.

The last time Florida’s unemployment rate was below the national rate was January 2008.

About 2,300 more Treasure Coast residents had jobs in March than the month before and nearly 4,000 more were employed than a year ago, according to data released Friday by Florida’s Department of Economic Opportunity.

Still, that left an estimated 20,734 Treasure Coast residents unemployed and actively seeking work in March.

Whether a person is eligible for or receiving unemployment compensation or other benefits is not a factor in whether that person is counted among the unemployed.

Speaking at a manufacturing plant in Naples, Gov. Rick Scott said Friday morning that 32,400 private-sector jobs were created in Florida in March.

The governor said, “We are now closing in on the halfway point to our goal of creating 700,000 jobs in seven years.”

The jobless rates in Indian River and St. Lucie counties each fell by eight-tenths of a percentage point, while Martin County’s rate dropped by six-tenths to 7.0 percent, matching the state’s non-seasonally adjusted rate. County-level rates are not seasonally adjusted.

St. Lucie County’s 8.8 percent rate was fifth-highest among Florida’s 67 counties, dropping from fourth a month ago. Indian River remained ranked 10th, while Martin County dropped from 26th to 28th.